In Colorado, rainfall characterized by the National Weather Service as "biblical" has left thousands homeless, hundreds missing and at least eight people dead. Among the hardest-hit cities has been Boulder, which last week catapulted from a dry spell into its wettest year on record in the span of just five days.

With 30.14 inches of rain and counting, more than half of which fell since Sept. 9, the city has already eclipsed its previous mark of 29.93 inches, set in 1995. Boulder's average yearly precipitation (rain and melted frozen precipitation) is 20.68 inches.

The record is especially noteworthy since before Sept. 9, Boulder, along with much of eastern Colorado, was still mired in long-term drought conditions